The Book of Amos - Associates for Scriptural Knowledge

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The Book of Amos
by Ernest L. Martin, Ph.D., September 19961
Transcribed and edited by David Sielaff, February 2013
Read the accompanying Newsletter for February 2013
The Book of Amos is one of the least understood in the Holy Scriptures.
It is a prophecy for the period just ahead of us, a prophecy dealing with a
specific two-year span of time just prior to the Second Advent of Christ.
Yet it is a prophecy which has all of its geographical, political, and chron-
ological parameters solidly situated in the period of the early 8th century
BC, almost 900 years before the birth of Jesus. One might ask, what does
a prophecy written back then, dealing with geographical, political, and
chronological matters relevant to that period, have to do with the future,
our day today?
The apostle Paul said in his epistle of First Corinthians that all of the writings in our Scripture today
were written for the generation when Christ introduced His message to the world, and secondarily when the
conclusion of this message would be announced to the world just prior to the Second Coming of Christ
(1 Corinthians 10:11). In other words, there is an end-time relevance to these prophecies.
Solomon wrote, that which once occurred shall occur again (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Many of the prophecies,
though they were uttered in ancient times, with geographical and political and chronological matters dealing
with the time back then, those prophecies actually have an end-time relevance to them.
Geography too must be taken into account at the end time, just as it was back there in former periods of
time. Amos was no exception. It was placed into the canon by Ezra the priest in the late 5th century BC
within the Minor Prophets.2 This Book of Amos was placed third in order for a reason within an historical
context.
Amos was also third in order of the group of seven of the twelve Minor Prophets dealing with the Assyr-
ian period. From the Book of Hosea to Nahum, all of those seven books were written when the Assyrian
empire was at its height. It was a time before the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel (also called
Samaria) were taken captive by the Assyrian during three different periods.
The chronological period, the political events described, and the geographical areas all relate to and
inform us about the early part of the 8th century BC.

1 This article was originally from an audiotape titled “Amos, a Prophecy for Today.” DWS
2 See Dr. Martin’s article “Minor Prophets for Today.” DWS
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The Importance of Geography in Amos
To understand Amos, you must understand the geographical terms. There are some terms in Amos
which are very strange to us, simply because many of them went out of existence no more than a hundred or
two hundred years afterward.
Geographical areas tend to change names, as different circumstances occur. Amos in our Bibles today
has nine chapters. It is a long prophecy, though it is a part of the Minor Prophets. It begins with eight differ-
ent geographical and political areas upon which God was to pronounce judgment. The judgment was to
come upon nations centered in and around Canaan, more particularly, in a specific area of the Middle East
beginning with Syria, down through Tyre on the coast, then to the Philistine area west of Jerusalem, coming
down to a judgment upon Judah, and finally a judgment upon northern Israel.
Most of this prophecy concerns judgments that God was to give to northern Israel (not to Judah) with its
geographical headquarters at the city of Samaria. This was the capital established by Jeroboam, after the
breakup of the Solomonic Empire. In 1 Kings 11:26 through chapter 14 and in 2 Chronicles chapter 10, after
Solomon’s death the kingdom of Israel was broken into two parts with Judah in the south (with its kingdom
centered at Jerusalem where the Temple was), and the other northern kingdom (with its capital at Samaria).
This northern kingdom had two temple areas — one at Bethel north of Jerusalem about 10 miles, where a
false idol of a calf was set up, and the second at Dan in the northern perimeter about 100 miles north of
Jerusalem, just under Mount Hermon at the springs of Dan.
Amos will discuss those two areas quite a bit, because the idolatrous religious practices at these two sites
led Israel to sin. These shrines were built by Jeroboam,3 and were designed to be temples of YHWH within
palaces. They were not designed to be temples of heathen gods. Baal was not to be worshipped there,
neither were the gods of the Philistines, the gods of the Babylonians, the Tyrians, or any other god. At first
YHWH, the God of Israel was to be worshipped exlusively, but they picked the wrong places. They picked
two areas outside the region of Jerusalem. David and Solomon, then Rehoboam, and 19 kings after, down to
the last king of Judah, Zedekiah, all ruled from Jerusalem where the real Temple of God was.
In the north the Kingdom of Israel had the two temple or sanctuary areas and a proliferation of altars in
other regions of Israel because of the breakdown of spiritual authority in the north. However, they all
claimed to worship YHWH. At the same time, they brought in many heathen teachings, customs, ceremo-
nies, and principles of living which were Gentile in origin, and did not come from God. This included sacri-
ficing to the golden calves at Bethel (1 Kings 12:32) and later in the region of Dan (2 Kings 10:29).
Amos and Other Prophets
As a result God raised up a prophet to go to the northern Israelites and teach them what God really
expected of them. The prophet God raised up, among several at the time, was Amos. Interestingly, Amos
was not from northern Israel. He came from Judah, from an area called Tekoa. (I have been there several
times.) It is interesting to see the areas where the historical events took place which Amos talks about, and
the prophetic areas where the judgments of God will occur.
Amos was not, as he said in his own writings, amongst the official prophets of YHWH in Israel. There
were many prophets up north in Israel. Elijah was one at an earlier time, just before Amos. Remember the
450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Ashtaroth Judges 2:13? Quite a number of others were prophets
of YHWH, even in the north. The northern kingdom had areas which were not proper for worshipping
YHWH.4 After the time of David, only Jerusalem was to be the ritual site, but northern Israel (wanting to

3 Because of Solomon’s sins, YHWH broke up the united kingdom of Israel into two kingdoms. Jeroboam I was YHWH’s
chosen successor to Solomon in the north (1 Kings 11:26–38). DWS
4 See 1 Kings 18:19, 22, 22:6; and 2 Chronicles 18:5–8. Many of the prophets in Israel may have indeed originally served and
appealed to YHWH, but also served other gods. This was strictly forbidden by God’s covenant with Israel and Judah under the
Mosaic legislation. The true prophets of YHWH were either persecuted, killed, or went south to Judah. Elijah said he was the only
prophet of YHWH left in his day (1 Kings 18:22). Later God brought other prophets, including Amos from Judah. DWS
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maintain their political sovereignty, power and authority) established these two temples, plus other areas, to
wean people away from Jerusalem.
So God raised up Amos who was not of the school of the prophets. However, he had the prophetic spirit
within him. When God uses any individual with a prophetic spirit, it is just like God Himself speaking.
Look at the prologue of the prophecies of Amos. It is important to comprehend the chronological period
in which Amos is prophesying, because it will affect your understanding of the prophecy, even for the end-
time in advance of us today. Amos 1:1: “The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa ...”
Tekoa is ten miles south of Jerusalem, a little farther south than Bethlehem, and a little bit east.
“The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel
in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam [II, the second king of Israel by
this name] the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.”
• Amos 1:1
Amos names the kings of Judah and Israel when he gave these prophecies. Amos was not of the school
of the prophets. God just picked Amos, saying, I have got a job for you to do.
“The Earthquake”
At the end of verse one Amos makes a most interesting and significant statement about what the proph-
ecy is all about. His prophecies in nine chapters were uttered at a time, “two years BEFORE the earthquake.”
Is that not an interesting thing to start with? Amos is giving an introduction here to prophecies, and he says
these were uttered before a significant earthquake which occurred in the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah.5
Israel is subject to earthquakes. They have always occurred in Israel. But Amos says, I presented this
prophecy two years before “the earthquake.”6 Commentators on the Bible realize this refers to a devastating
earthquake which hit Palestine, one so significant in the living memory of every person there, it was
remembered 300 years later by the people. It became proverbial … “THE earthquake.” It became a chrono-
logical benchmark which everyone remembered. Amos is trying to show that his prophecies are associated
with a time period when God sent a devastating earthquake of an extremely high magnitude, perhaps a 10,
11, or perhaps even a 12 on the Richter Scale. This would mean utter and nearly complete devastation. We
do not know how strong, but it was so powerful that those living in an area of earthquakes remembered it as
a major event worthy of commemorating.
Three hundred years later in Zechariah chapter 14, an event is mentioned which will take place immedi-
ately prior to the Second Coming of our Lord. He is coming to establish His Kingdom on this earth. When
His feet touch down on the Mount of Olives,7 a series of events will occur:
“Behold, the day of YHWH comes, and your spoil shall be divided in the midst of you ...”
• Zechariah 14:1
This Zechariah passage was written to Judah some three hundred years after Amos. Continuing on:
“For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the
houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and

5 The Middle East is susceptible to quite a number of earthquakes. They occur almost on a daily basis. You cannot really feel
most of them. In California also, earthquakes occur on a daily basis. But sometimes they get to the 3.0 category on the Richter
scale which can be noticed and felt (if you are close to the epicenter). When you get to 4.0, you definitely begin to feel them.
Larger than this, damage and injuries can occur. Large quakes can be devastating. My wife and I were up in Alaska some years
ago, and people still had pictures of a devastating 9.0 earthquake which tore Anchorage to pieces. ELM
6 Amos refers to another earthquake in Amos 8:8. These were to occur in the future near to Amos. The earthquake in 9:5–6
(also mentioned in Zechariah 14:1) will occur during the Day of YHWH, far in the future from the time of Amos,. DWS
7 He left from there. He shall return there also (Acts 1:9–11). DWS
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the residue of the people [those who are left] shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall YHWH
go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he [YHWH] fought in the day of battle ...”
• Zechariah 14:2–3
This “day of battle” refers back to the time of King Saul. An important battle took place between Israel
and the Philistines. Christ will fight then, as God fought for Israel in that “day of battle” (find this in 1 Sam-
uel 13:22–14:13, especially verse 14:15). Do you know what turned the tide of that battle in favor of Israel
and sent the Philistines running back to their home areas on the coast? It was God striking Palestine with a
major earthquake. This was in the time of King Saul, in the past. Go on in Zechariah:
“And his feet [YHWH’s feet — Christ with the title of YHWH] shall stand in that day upon the
Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave
in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great val-
ley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”
• Zechariah 14:4
The Mount of Olives is a large mountain with a lot of earth. For it to be cleaved in two, it will be caused
by a major earthquake of tremendous proportions.
“And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach
unto Azal [this is in the east]: yea, you shall flee, like as you fled from before the earthquake in
the days of Uzziah king of Judah.”
• Zechariah 14:5
This earthquake prophesied in Zechariah will be even more powerful than the earthquake which routed
the Philistines in the time of King Saul. This earthquake of Zechariah chapter 14, at the time Christ is
returning will be like the one associated with the time of Amos’ prophecies.
Not only seismic disturbances will come, but celestial events will take place. All types of natural phe-
nomena make it clear to the world that God exists and He is involved with mankind. The prophecies of
Amos, presented in the 8th century BC, have a relevance through that earthquake of something which will
happen in the future. Even people in the days of Zechariah 300 years later were still knowledgeable about
the great earthquake in their past.
Do you want the coming earthquake to be further described? John the apostle described it in Revelation
chapter 16, at the end of the 7th plague, and it describes the Second Coming of Christ, the very time when
His feet will touch on the Mount of Olives. The7th plague is associated with what Amos prophesied:
“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the
Temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders,
and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the
earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts.”
• Revelation 16:17–19
That great city is not Babylon. Babylon is mentioned later on. It is not Tyre. Tyre is mentioned earlier, if
you understand it. The great city is Jerusalem. The antichrist is coming, and he will establish his kingdom in
Jerusalem, and this earthquake will occur at Jerusalem. It will be so powerful that the only earthquake com-
parable was in the days of Uzziah, but even that earthquake will be less powerful than the coming one.
The First Prophecies of Amos
Go back to the first prophecies in Amos 1:3–2:16. Remember, Amos received this prophecy two years
before the great earthquake and you will understand this prophecy when you consider the events which took
place two years before the earthquake will be repeated as mentioned in the Book of Revelation. This chron-
ological indication by Amos was of supreme importance to him. In the first verse Amos explained who he
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was, and the timeframe of when he received the prophecies.
The earthquake Amos refers to in the time of Uzziah, king of
The Lion in Amos
Judah, was associated with (according to Zechariah 14:3–5 and
Revelation 16:17–19) the return of Jesus Christ. All are con- In Amos 1:2 YHWH roars like a lion
nected. from Jerusalem to the people of the
If this is the case, then we have here prophecies, two years northern kingdom of Israel. The same
before the earthquake in the 8th century, let me put it this way, verb “roar” is used in Amos 3:4 with
if you have your prophetic understanding in proper order, you reference to a lion. A lion’s roar is a
frightful sound to a shepherd like
will understand here the code, the secret which God is trying to
Amos. In Amos 3:8 a lion’s roar is
tell you. This prophecy of Amos will happen two years before
compared to YHWH’s prophecies:
the major earthquake that will occur at the end of the age.
“The lion has roared, who will not
After verse 1, Amos directs his prophecy to eight different
fear? the Lord YHWH has spoken,
nations, all in the Middle East, in what we call the Levant or who can but prophesy?”
the eastern Mediterranean. It does not include Assyria, though In Amos, God is angry and He will
Assyria is mentioned as an adversarial power. It includes the act in judgment; in anger He is more
nations from Syria, Lebanon, Tyre, Israel and down to Gaza, in fearsome than the lion (Amos 5:19).
that area. The first six are Gentile nations. He gives short The people were not only committing
accounts of what will happen to each of them. idolatry spiritually and physically, but
as a result of their idolatry, that same
The next is Judah but he does not spend much time with
idolatry led them to be unjust and un-
Judah because his prophecy is not primarily to Judah. It is pri-
righteous toward each other. God
marily directed to Israel in the north, and he has much to say
commands Israel in Amos 5:15:
about them. In fact, what happens will be typical of what will
“Hate the evil, and love the good, and
happen to Israel two years prior to the Second Coming of
establish judgment [justice] in the
Christ. Now look at verse 2:
gate: it may be that YHWH, God of
hosts, will be gracious to the remnant
“... YHWH will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from of Joseph”
Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall Unless Israel repents, God’s punish-
mourn, and the top of Carmel [near Haifa today] shall ment will leave only remnants to be
wither.” rescued. Yet like the shepherd, YHWH
• Amos 1:2 will retrieve Israel’s remnants from
lion’s mouth — Amos 3:12. DWS
Damascus
The first prophecy was against Damascus.
“Thus says YHWH; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the
punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.
I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and
him that holds the scepter from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into cap-
tivity unto Kir, says YHWH.”
• Amos 1:3–5
The Damascus discussed here is the Damascus of the 8th Century BC, but it also refers to Damascus two
years prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Does this mean there will be a Damascus at that time? Yes. It is
the capital of Syria right now. Though this prophecy is given in the 8th Century BC, look at what will hap-
pen to Damascus a few years in advance of us, just before Christ’s Second Coming.
Gaza and the Other Nations
Then it goes on to the second prophecy in verse 6, a prophecy against Gaza, the Philistine area. This is
now the Gaza Strip. People wonder whether there will be a Palestinian state. I have said for years there shall
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be one. It makes no difference if the Israelis want one or not, it will happen.8
Now I will explain something about Israel, and who will be in charge toward the end of the age. When
you look at these geographical divisions:
Number one is Damascus. This is the territory of Syria today.
Number two is Gaza along the Mediterranean coast.
Number three (in verse 9) is Tyre. That is up in Lebanon.
Number four is Edom (verse 11), which is part of Jordan today (east of the Jordan River).9
Number five (verse 13), is Ammon, also east of the Jordan River.
Number six is Moab (Amos 2:1, southeast of the Dead Sea).
Then in Amos 2:4 we find Judah itself.10
Then we come to Amos 2:6, to Israel. It is the eighth geograph-
ical area discussed. The prophecy to Israel occupies the rest of
the Book of Amos.
So here is this prophet from Judah, who comes from the
herdsmen of Tekoa, giving a prophecy to ancient Israel. But first
he gave it to the seven nations, including Judah, and six of them
happen to be Gentile — Moab, Ammon, Edom, Tyre, Damascus,
and Gaza. Some people have wondered whether there will actu-
ally be seven different nations there two years prior to the Sec-
ond Coming of Christ? Yes, there will be. And there will be
Israel. Israel will control the whole region.
Solomon’s Economic Control over the Nations
Let me mention something very important. At the time Solo-
mon was reigning in Israel, Solomon controlled the whole world
for all practical purposes. His 40 years of reign was a golden era
in Israel, and a golden era for the whole world. Did you know
that Solomon did not have political control over Gaza and the
Philistine area? He did not. He had economic control. In fact, he
had economic control over Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, over the
Anatolian countries, over Europe, over all the empire of Tyre. Cities and sites in Israel and Judah 11
A lawyer told me one time, Ernest, it is not what you own, it is
what you can control which makes all the difference in the world.” Solomon knew it was politically expe-
dient not to establish sovereign ownership over the Philistine territory. He wanted them to have their own
leaders. He allowed the other nations to have their own kings. All he required was for them to send their
princesses for his harem from all over the world to secure political alliances through marriage. Solomon did
not control the world politically. He controlled the world economically. Solomon controlled those nations
through prestige, through power and authority vested in him.
This is how Israel will do things in the near future and Israel must recognize that fact today. If they want
to create an Israel which controls the whole Middle East, they will fail. They must allow the nations to exist,
as the prophecies here show, but through sheer economic control they will dominate the whole area. This
prophecy here in Amos is setting up this very thing.

8 See Dr. Martin’s article “The Prophesied State of Palestine” about the future of the Gaza territory. Dr. Martin also discusses
the prophecy of Psalm 83, which deals with some of the same nations as Amos. DWS
9 See Dr. Martin’s article “The Most Significant Gentile Nation in the Bible,” for a discussion of the past and future of the
people of Edom. DWS
10 In each of these six YHWH shall “send fire” upon some aspect of their domain (Amos 1:4, 7, 10, 12, 14, 2:2, 5). DWS
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The Eighth Century BC and Modern Times
If you want to know what the political situation will be, read Amos. It is already beginning to show on
the world scene. If you would like further definition of it, go to Psalm 83, which mentions additional nations
including Assyria, which will make up a ten nation confederation. It is all here, in Psalm 83, it is also in the
Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation.
Understand this — there will be nations which will not be a part of Israel, but they will be under the
control of Israel. In the time of Solomon, consider Hiram. He was the king of Tyre. He had control over
Tyre and the whole western Mediterranean basin to himself. But who controlled Hiram economically?
Solomon did. That is the key.
This is what you should understand about the Book of Amos. When you read this and say, why, this is
talking about the 8th Century BC. Some of these kingdoms do not even exist today. Wait. You will not wait
very long to see these things begin to coalesce. These nations will form and events will take place at a
period prior to two years before the earthquake prophesied in Amos, Zechariah, and Revelation.
God’s Primary Concern in Amos
What do we find in these prophecies of Amos, given primarily to Israel? The main concern in Amos was
the establishment of religious sanctuaries in wrong places. Israel should get back to the right place. Until
they go to the right place, they will be in trouble. The right place is Jerusalem, and not in other places.
The whole of the prophecy of Amos is about evil which has been subjected upon the nation of Israel and
the people because the leaders, following in the footsteps of Jeroboam,11 led Israel astray. And you know
what they did? The leaders and Jeroboam broke Israel away from Jerusalem (the right spot for worship) and
Jeroboam raised up shrines at Bethel, and Dan, and other places. This is one of the major thrusts of Amos.
I am giving the overall principles you should look for. What Amos shows is that Israel looked good on
the surface, as though they were YHWH’s people, but in fact they imposed a type of Gentile teaching which
was not Mosaic at all. One major point Amos has to bring out is: “what do you do with the festivals?”
“I hate [God says], I despise your feast days, and I will not smell [the sacrifice] in your solemn
assemblies. Though you offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept
them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take you away from me the
noise of your songs [in their religious services]; for I will not hear the melody of your viols.
But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Have you
offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years [as was done in the time of
Moses], O house of Israel? But you have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your
images [two pagan idols], the star of your god, which you made to yourselves. Therefore will I
cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus [or as Stephen says, Acts 7:43: “beyond Babylon”].”
• Amos 5:21–27
That was the prophecy back then for the Israelites, true, and those events did occur. But what was God
interested in here? Israel had the holy days on the right days. So what were they doing? They were misinter-
preting them. They were bringing in heathenism. One of them was a god, a star-god, which they saw in the
night sky. Look today at some of the things which identify Israel today. Are they free of paganism today?12
Many of the holyday rituals the Jews have accepted, just as in ancient Israel, displease God with how they
are practiced.

11 Amos is speaking of Jeroboam II, the son of Joash (Amos 1:2, and 7:9–11). He ruled in idolatrous ways similar to his
namesake Jeroboam I, the first northern Israelite king after Solomon. DWS
12 The symbol of the nation of Israel today is the six-pointed star. When you look at it, it is two triangles superimposed over one
another, and 180 degrees away from the other. And what is a triangle? It symbolizes the trinity, the pagan trinity. You will not
find this symbol in the Old Testament. They must put the idolatry out of the land. Zechariah speaks about it in Zechariah 10:2–3
and 13:2. It is not only we Christians who have been subjected to idolatrous acts and objects. ELM
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We will also see some astronomical events taking place.
“For thus says YHWH unto the house of Israel, ‘Seek you me, and you shall live: But seek not
Bethel [the wrong place to worship], nor enter into Gilgal [east of Jericho], and pass not to Beer-
sheba [near the southern limit of Israel]: ...’”
• Amos 5:4–5
At Beersheba Abraham raised up a tree which symbolized the tree of life (Genesis 21:31–33), but a wrong
kind of worship was later established at those places by Israelites after the time of Solomon.
It seems like every place where a holy event took place which was true and right in its time, people
come along and change it to heathenism. Even this spot down where Abraham himself, the father of the
nation, raised up a tree. Here were the Israelites, along with the Jews, going right down there to Beersheba.
“… for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to naught. Seek YHWH, and
you shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph [the northern Israelites], and
devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.”
• Amos 5:5–6
God says, I will wipe away Bethel, and He has done so. So destroyed is Bethel that three different sites
have been suggested, and scholars are not sure which one is correct. We do not know to this very day where
the ancient temple of Jeroboam was. God has completely, by historical events, taken it out. He will take out
the idolatry and other evil things out of Israel today.13 Look at verse 7 of Amos chapter 5:
“You who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth, Seek him that
makes the seven stars [the Pleiades in Taurus] and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the
morning ...”
• Amos 5:7–8
In other words, do not go after and worship Orion, do not worship the Pleiades, the seven stars, but worship
Him who made them, and not some kind of idol. The symbol of itself is not wrong, but the interpretation
and the thought behind the symbol are wrong.
Intensities of Punishment in Amos
Amos gives five intensities of prophecy which I want to point out to you. Amos did not have the pro-
phetic rank upon him when God called him. He was just a layman, a shepherd, a herdsman out of the fields.
God can take common folk to go to the kings of the Earth, and tell them the truth. This is what Amos was
doing, and the power which he had was absolutely fantastic.
In chapter 4 Amos gives five intensities of punishments of what God will do to ancient Israel. These also
pertain to modern Israel — today.
1. It says in verse 6:
“And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your
places: yet have you not returned unto me, says YHWH.”
• Amos 4:6
In other words, God judged them at one time, but they still did not return to YHWH to obey Him. Notice the
phrase at the end of verse 6: “Yet have you not returned unto me, says YHWH.”
2. If you go down he says something else that He has done to judge them, to bring them back to their
senses. At the end of verse 8 is this second point: “Yet have you not returned unto me, says YHWH.”

13 Let us not blame the Israelis too much. What about the Christian world with our steeples, our crosses, our pictures of a long-
haired Jesus, all of which is not true? We are worshipping the gods of the heathen, and we think we are worshipping the God of
the Bible. ELM
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3. Then he smites them with blasting and mildew, and things of that nature. At the end of verse 9, it
says again: “Yet you have not returned unto me, says YHWH.”
4. And what do we find at the end of verse 10? “Yet have you not returned unto me, says YHWH.”
5. At the end of verse 11 He gives a fifth judgment, which is always the most intense. And He says:
“Yet have you not returned unto me, says YHWH.”
God gives these five intensities of punishment as opportunities: to wake them up, to make them better,
to get them to change their minds (repent). If they go five times,14 at the end of the fifth judgment here is
what he says in Amos 4:12, one of the most frightening verses in the entire Bible:
“Therefore thus will I do unto you, O Israel: and because I will do this unto you, prepare to meet
your God, O Israel.”
God says this after He has sent the five-fold judgments, and they refused at every juncture to repent. The
judgments got more severe to the fifth. You have not returned unto me, so Israel, “prepare to meet your
God.”
“For, lo, he that formed the mountains. He that created the wind. He that declares unto man
what is his thought, that makes the morning darkness, treads upon the high places of the
earth, YHWH, The God of hosts, is his name.”
• Amos 4:13
Now God shall intervene. He will intervene on behalf of Israel, on behalf of these other nations which are
mentioned, and on behalf of the whole world.
Amos gave these prophecies here at the upper part of the 8th century BC. The prophecies came true;
there is no question. But as Solomon says in the Book of Ecclesiastes, what happened at one time will also
happen again.
And what did the apostle Paul say? He said these things were recorded for you, so those living at the end
of the age may have instruction, may have wisdom, and may have understanding. When you go to the Book
of Revelation, which is about the Second Coming of Jesus to this Earth, when He comes He shall come with
power and authority. He will come in glory. He shall come with judgment. He will come with an earthquake
which will be the biggest that ever occurred. The only event comparable is the earthquake in the time of
Amos.
Amos’ prophecies took place, and God wants people to know this. The great earthquake had already
occurred when Amos wrote down the prophecies he spoke to Israel. Amos said he was given the prophecies
two years before the earthquake. This is a signal, if you can see it, connecting with Zechariah chapter 14 and
the Second Advent of Christ when His feet touch on the Mount of Olives. Even the reference there to the
earthquake in Amos is mentioned and connected with the 16th chapter of the Book of Revelation, in asso-
ciation with the 19th chapter — all explaining things that are going to happen at the end-time, events to be
climaxed with the true Second Coming of our Lord to earth.
Remember, when you read the Book of Revelation: Christ Jesus Himself takes prophecies from all over
the Old Testament, from different time periods, different areas, and various events, and He combines them
together into one, to show what will happen in days soon to come. I tell you now, pay attention to Amos,
because two years before the great earthquake of the future, you will see these events happening in Israel.
Keep your eyes on the Middle East. Interesting times are just on the horizon.
Ernest L. Martin, September 1996
Edited by David Sielaff, February 2013

14 Isaiah also uses exactly five, again with greater intensity each time. Those judgments prophesied in Isaiah are different judg-
ments qualitatively. ELM See Dr. Martin’s article “Introduction to Isaiah” where this five-fold punishment in Amos is compared
with instances of five-fold punishment in other Old Testament prophecies. DWS
10

Biblical Earthquakes Mentioned by Dr. Martin
It will be helpful to itemize the earthquakes mentioned by Dr. Martin. Chronologically these earthquakes
are as follows:
• There is the earthquake in “the Day of Battle” (1 Samuel 13:22–14:23, especially 14:15). With this
earthquake God gave victory to Israel. This took place in the time of King Saul, probably in the
mid-11th century BC.
• Next is the earthquake in the Days of Uzziah, King of Judah, mentioned in Amos 1:1 and in Zecha-
riah 14:3. This occurred in the 8th century BC.
• Then finally there is the earthquake to come at Christ’s return (Revelation chapter 16) when the
Mount of Olives will split in two (Zechariah 14:5). This earthquake has not yet occurred. It will be
the greatest earthquake ever (Revelation 16:17–20) and it will be qualitatively different than those
mentioned elsewhere (Revelation 6:12, 8:5, 11:13, 19). Several events prophesied by Amos will
occur two years before this earthquake, before Christ returns.
Amos the Outsider
The prophet Amos is an outsider both to the prophetic ministry and to the society of the northern king-
dom of Israel. Amos was from Judah but he prophesied in Israel as an outsider. Nor was he one of the pro-
phetic groups of either Judah or Israel. It is interesting that a well-known verse comes from a prophet who is
an outsider: “Surely the Lord YHWH will do nothing, but he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets”
(Amos 3:7).
Amos gave his prophecies during the reigns of two very long-ruling kings, Jeroboam II of Israel, and
Uzziah of Judah (Amos 1:1, 7:10). Each reigned some 40 years and they ruled contemporarily for 36 years.
Both kingdoms were prosperous during that period, and apparently so was Amos. Professor James Nogalski
makes an excellent case that Amos was not just a hired shepherd, but was a landowner and an owner of
herds in Judah. In other words, Amos was a man of property and maybe of some substance, likely owning
herds and the orchard. He did not become a prophet to make a living.15 Note what Amos said in defense of
himself:
“Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, ‘I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son
[not a member of any prophetic guild]; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit:
And YHWH took me as I followed the flock, and YHWH said unto me, “Go, prophesy unto my
people Israel.” Now therefore hear you the word of YHWH’: …”
• Amos 7:14–16
Amaziah was a priest at Bethel and an enemy who accused Amos of conspiracy. He tried to stop Amos
from preaching God’s prophecies to Israel and suggested that Amos be expelled from the kingdom (Amos
7:10–17).16 Amos then told a prophecy which God directed against one individual by the name Amaziah.17

15 James D. Nogalski, The Book of the Twelve: Hosea–Jonah, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary Series (Macon, GA: Smyth
& Helwys, 2011), pp. 259, 341. DWS
16 The apostle Paul was also an outsider. He was not one of the original apostles or even one of Jesus’ disciples. Paul probably
had Amos in mind when he wrote 1 Corinthians 1:27:
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things
of the world to confound the things which are mighty.”
It is interesting that at some future time teachers and so-called prophets in Jerusalem will try to deny they were ever teachers or
prophets. They will try to say something similar but directly opposite to what Amos said. Look at Zechariah 13:5:
“But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.” DWS
17 Amos 7:16–17. Imagine having God give a judgment oracle personally against you! What God prophesied was probably
already in process of being fulfilled when Amos spoke the prophecy. DWS